The best approach to winning the parcel business for African postal operators

Sometimes it is good that America and other first world countries are ahead in terms of business technology application. The hardships, wins and failures experienced by such first world countries become a good lesson for followers. This has been the case in the postal industry as well. 

In this article I pick a lesson that the USPS (American postal operator) has learnt with the measuring of online shops that now contemplate establishing their own shipping centres.  Amazon being the culprit with the USPS may at the moment not be sure whether it is a threat or a customer.

Amazon has been growing a lot over the years to the point of thinking twice about completely running the delivery process from start to finish. This means that the USPS may loose out on business they are getting from this giant online retailer. It surely would serve Amazon better to take full control of their delivery, not only will it be on shipping costs but also on controlling the delivery speed of items. 

The greatest strength for Amazon is that it has the customers and has the power to decide who to engage to deliver the parcels. Similar powers would be enjoyed by the USPS if it also had its own online shopping platform on which it can control the prices of both the merchandise and that of shipping. 

Lessons to the African postal operators

The sooner African postal operators work at forming alliances with online shops or even creating their own online retail shops, the better. according to  MER magazine, in 2050 over 50% of all sales will be online and this will threaten even shopping malls to close down as home and office delivery will have taken over. 

Suggested starting point 

Postal operators would have to take a gradual growth approach to this giant business step of incorporating online shopping in their model. There has to be a way of joining hands within regional players and taking a close watch on how the market behaves so that they position themselves to be the preferred service provider. 

Conclusion

The post office can only survive if it is flexible in adoption modern business trends.

Post offices in Africa also sends EDI messages

The help, guidance and coaching by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) has helped Africa postal operators make a quick follow up on technological advancement in the postal industry. There are systems that little operators could afford, which UPU has made affordable, installed in postal operator mail routes for capturing and sending EDI messages.

The EDI message system is monitored centrally in each country or centrally in Berne Switzerland for prompt reporting. The focus is particularly on measuring end-to-end delivery standards of mails. In the postal business, the term ‘mail’ also stands for parcels and small packets. The exchange of EDI messages enable many postal operators to be able to answer questions on how much time it takes for letters to be delivered in specific delivery points. This was purely an estimate before the invent of exchanging EDI messages across operators.

So, go ahead and use the post office for your registered item and parcel, it will be tracked in most African country’s postal operators website to give you a close to accurate indication of its position at any given time, just like traditional courier companies do. 

How postal administrations make money

As a postman myself, I have had to answer a lot of questions around economically justifying the existence of the post office. Many people acknowledge that the traditional mail business has grown so insignificant it won’t sustain even the smallest postal operator out there.

My answer is simple, diversifying into other quick cash service offerings such as financial services and government services is the solution. I also make mention of the fact that even if many things are now delivered electronically and globally, there still has to be the point where the electronics change into the physical. Think of an online purchase of a item that can be packaged into a postal parcel, no matter how hard inventors try to delivery everything electronically, at least in our generation, it cannot be possible. The post office being one of the cheapest options of sending small items around, it has the leverage to cash in on parcel and other related items delivery.

Even though some people won’t believe me on this one, but I will go on and say it. The postal business has not lost all mail business to competition. There are still bulk posting customers who normally send statements and promotions to their customers through the postal services. Many postal operators still harvest a good portion of their profits from the traditional mail and parcel business.

I always wonder why SMEs don’t take the opportunity to partner with the post office. I will tell you a secrete, ‘the post office is desperate for partners that will give them some business’. To them, failure to secure partners spell no salary increase, retrenchments, and a very unstable industrial environment.

Go ahead and try the post office near you.

Convinient Post Office agency service - Collecting Entry Forms

Agency services form a large part of the postal business today. This is the case with most postal administrations, in Africa and elsewhere. If you go the post office, you surely will find that the traditional postal services are invisible yet they still exist for obligatory reasons.


I today want to give insight to a service that the post office is offering in Swaziland, collecting entry forms. Entry forms could for various purposes. Registration is used for competitions, schools, social activities and many more.


Traditionally, the organisation that wants people to register would distribute entry forms in various expensive ways and also spend even more for collecting the entry forms. Today the post office makes all this easy. The organisation simply publishes the entry form on a daily newspaper and let the target audience fill it and surrender it at the post office. If a registration fee is required, the post office would use one of its available revenue collection methods and consolidate at the end of the month.


This strategy works well because of the following:


1. The newspapers has a far reaching network. Interested people can make an effort to get at least a copy and cut out the form. Even though it is expensive to publish with the print media sometimes.
2. The post office often has a wide network, making it easy for people to submit.

Example Case for Swaziland

There is a talent search going on in Swaziland. This project is funded by an organization called Swaziland Arts and Music Association (SWAMA). This project will be running for at least three months going forward. Ludziwo Consulting has been awarded a tender to run the project.


Ludziwo got sponsorship from the Times of Swaziland, a popular local newspaper company. An entry form is published four days a week; Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Interested citizens cut off the form, fill it and submit at the nearest post office. A joining fee of ZA R 70 (equivalent) is paid and the post office reconciled the account at the end of the month.

Invitation

The post office is an option. Do stop by to learn about the various products and services on offer.

How much will it cost to redirect mail from one area to another?

Mail redirect may not be as popular and known to many because the world of personal letter message has faded away. It is now on social media, text message services, etc. However, for the one person that still uses the post office to get their correspondence, the mail service is also flexible to follow you wherever you go, as long as you are within the territories of your own country.

 

This service is open for all mail service. This includes all parcel types, registered mail and ordinary mail. You may not redirect other postal services.

What is Mail Redirect?

Just as the phrase suggests, the box owner redirects their mail to another post box. There are many reasons why a post box holder would opt for this service. You could have temporarily relocated to another part of the country, travelled beyond the borders of your country and would love for your mail to be received through a trusted friend post box, and any other reason that you make one not want to receive their mail through their normal post box.

This service is a temporary arrangement. You may not redirect your mail indefinite. If for any reason you have relocated forever, it is recommended that you buy a new post box at your nearest post office in your new area of residence. The next step would be to inform all those that send you mail to start sending to the new postal address. It is important to do so to avoid missing out on your mail because it has been sent back to sender at your previous postal outlet. So many people have missed their very important mail because they ignore this important practice.

How Mail Redirect Works

You go to your post office and request for the service over the counter. You give then details of your post box and that you wish your mail to be redirected to. There is not restriction within the territory of your country, the only thing you must know is that you cannot redirect to any international destination, even at a fee, you cannot redirect to international destinations.

Postal employees get notice of the redirect request and observe it. Normally, the notice is place inside the post office, right at the inside cabin where your mail is slotted.  All that come to deposit your mail will see the notice and redirect from your mail right there and then.

Disadvantage of Mail Redirect

Your mail is most likely to delay or take longer than normal because it first has to go to your post box before it is redirected. The delay will be significant if the post office you redirect to is very far from your normal destination office. In some instances, it would mean your letter has to restart the process from the very first stage. 

Anyone is welcome to Sell through the post office - CODs

The post office offers a service where entrepreneurs, SMEs and big companies can sell to customers anywhere there is a postal outlet in Africa. This excellent service is called 'Cash on Delivery' (COD) and it is one of the traditional mail services from the post office. The model works exactly as the phrase suggest, 'you pay cash when you get the item delivered to you'. You pay for the item, that is, the purchase price and the shipment service as well. If you any reason the sender wants to pay for shipment, the price of the item should be adjusted to cater only for the unit bought.

The seller receives an order from a customer from wherever his marketing initiatives reached and got a lead, let the buyer agree to pay for the item upon receipt and then the item is sent. The buyer would give delivery address, which is normally his or her nearest post office. Those postal administrations that provide door-to-door delivery are always ready to offer the service even with COD parcels, as long as the item has been fully paid for. Items should comply to the post office rule, that is, items should fall within the acceptable volume and non prohibited items. 

The sender should then package the item and send it through the post office. Normally, the post office will use normal mail delivery service to get the item to the recipient. At the receiving end, a notice slip is sent to the post box and the recipient should present himself / herself in person. The owner should prove with the help of an ID that he is the rightful owner and should pay for the item. 

The post office is really unhappy when customers disown COD parcels. However, if for any reason the recipient is not happy with the item, they are free to reject it. The post office then sends it back to origin and yes somebody must pay for this. 

These items are allocated bar codes at the sending / origin office. This means that once posted, they can be traceable until they reach the delivery / destination office.

The Message

If you have anything to sell that can be posted through the post office, should you be an entrepreneur, SMEs or a big company, you are welcome to use this service. This service is good and even more relevant in today's world of e-commerce.

If you are a buyer but have no means of collecting your item, simply inform the seller that such a service exists in the post office. If you are in Swaziland, you can call 00268 3405 2000 to talk to a manager that will engage your chosen shop to assure them of the COD delivery service.

Note: This post will be updated continuously as more information is gathered about this service

The Post Office working with companies in making payments for staff

The post office is positioned to help companies and government in cash disbursements for any purpose. Companies from all over the world that want to send cash to beneficiaries in Africa can take advantage of the already running service in the post office. Cash was traditionally send from one post office to another through the Money Order service but now this service has gotten more automated, thus assuming the name 'Electronic Money Transfer'. Cash disbursement differ a bit yet the same Money Transfer system becomes a vehicle for this service.

I'm unveiling the convenience that the post office offers to companies that want to pay grants, short term salaries and pension. World Vision in Swaziland, Swaziland Conference of Churches and many others are using the post office to pay rural support grants in some communities. The Civil Servants Salary Payment project, approved by the Secretary to Cabinet Dr Roland Msiska; and licensed by the Bank of Zambia works well in the post office. South African post office also works with a number of neighbouring countries in making the money transfer service friendlier and automated. Government grants to various beneficiary groups ride on postal services for its far reaching network and affordable rates.

 

Post offices have their arms open for anyone that wants to use their services. Normally, cross boarder payments are not a problem because post offices work as a global network.